The smartphone world moves so fast, with new devices hitting shelves what seems like every month, and it's kind of startling to realize that most of the sets people buy run on two operating systems: iOS and Android, with Apple iOS 6 and Google's Android Jelly Bean being the most recent updates.
Of course, most iOS 6 and Android Jelly Bean users already have their preferences, so trying to change their minds is as silly as expecting North Korea to act rationally — but that doesn't stop everyone from voicing their opinions.
With that in mind, CNET decided to enter the iOS 6 vs. Android Jelly Bean debate head-on, and was even bold enough to declare a winner at the end of four rounds. Let's see how they scored the Apple/Google battle:
Round 1: Design
Essentially, the arguments boiled down to this: iOS 6 is easy to use, but the fact that it still looks like every other version of iOS is a glaring negative. It might be what everyone's used to, but to compete in the future, it needs a huge overhaul. Android Jelly Bean, meanwhile, sports a modern design that looks like it could have traveled back from the future. It's consistent across the board, and little flourishes make even mundane screens pop.
Winner: Jelly Bean.
Round 2: User Interface (UI) And Navigation
Here's where iOS 6's lack of visual pizzazz proves beneficial. It might not be the sexiest looking UI, but it's by far the easiest to use when it comes to navigation, folder creation, and it is easily understood. Jelly Bean, meanwhile, offers users an insane amount of customization, but it's harder for users to acclimate themselves with it.
Winner: iOS 6.
Round 3: Features
Since most of the iOS 6 features were kept the same in the transition from iOS 5, CNET focused on Maps. Here, Android Jelly Bean has the clear advantage. Google Maps is by far the better resource than Apple Maps, but even when it came to Siri, Google Now was more accurate and reported results significantly faster. The iOS 6 Passbook is crippled by the lack of NFC, and even though the Jelly Bean version needs work, it does have native NFC capabilities. Gesture-based typing and drop-down notifications are also extremely useful, giving Google the clear edge.
Winner: Jelly Bean.
Round 4: Ecosystem
Jelly Bean's Google Play Store has improved significantly since its inception, and CNET calls it "legitimate" now, but it still pales in comparison to iTunes and the Apple App Store. When most developers make apps, they gear them toward iOS before working to get them on Android, and its plethora of options makes it the hands-down victor.
Winner: iOS 6.
Since CNET averaged out all their judges' scores at the end of the match, Android Jelly Bean ended up edging iOS 6 by a score of 4.5 to 4.4. Do you agree with the assessment? Let us know below.
